Record sheet for statistical purposes



Sept. 5, 1939. H. |-|v HIGGINBOTTOM ET AL I 2,171,556

RECORD SHEET FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES Filed Aug. 21,1955 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Fig. 1

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IIII IIII IIIII Jofin C. -Peferaon Patented Sept. 5, 1939 PATENT OFFICERECORD SHEET FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES Harold H. Higginbottom, Manhattan,Kans., Hans J. Peterson, Hattiesburg, Miss., and John 0. Peterson,Manhattan, Kans.

Application August 21, 1933, Serial No. 685,999 /z 5 Claims.

Our invention. relates to machines for counting, tabulating, sorting, orotherwise statistically treating data contained on various record sheetsand documents by electro-mechanical means. More'particularly, ourinvention relates to the original record sheets themselves which containthe data orinformation that is to be tabulated,

analyzed,.or otherwise treatedby the machine.

Such record sheets, may be in the form of sales records, examinationpapers, ballots, census reports, or any other known information-bearingsheets or cards from which information is to be taken by such machines.Once information is placed upon these cards, they are inserted or fedinto these machines and the machines themselves will analyze and giveoff the-desired information or answer.

One object of our invention is to provide a par ticular form of recordsheet which lends itself more particularly for obtaining data of thekind for which data sheets of the type used heretofore have not beenreadily adaptable.

Another, object of this invention is to provide a particular form ofrecord sheet which is more serviceable than current forms of recordsheets for the collection, tabulation, transfer, evaluation or otherstatistical treatment of the data.

Another object .of this invention is to provide a record sheet uponwhich data may be accurately recorded by relatively inexact marks orindications made without the extreme care usually required in makingexact records.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for accuratelyand rapidly transferring .data collected from various sources totheperforated' card type of record used in many conventional tabulating andsorting machines. For this purpose the machine may beset up to perforatea card at places corresponding to each location,- tact, or datumindicated on the original record sheet by a conducting deposit.

In accordance with one form of the present invention, the record sheetor document may comprise a sheet of paper or cardboard or other suitableinsulating material upon which are previously printed, or otherwisedisposed, areas of electrical conducting material, at a plurality oflocations on the sheet, the arrangement of which depends upon the natureof the information to be recorded. These locations, or areas, areusually disposed in pairs, and may be of the na ture of squares,circles, rectangles, columns, lead-. ers, or of any other suitablegeometrical configuration. These pairs of areas are properly indexed onthe sheet and upon selecting the proper pair of areas, a mark is made,thereby conductively connecting the two areas of a single pair. Suchmarking is done with a lead pencil or some other instrument fordepositing suitable conducting material.

For a better understanding ofthis invention, reference may be made tothe accampanying drawings, of which Figure 1 shows one form of a recordsheet, illustrating, particularly, pairs of conducting areas, some ofwhich have recordings .made between them, and

Figure 2 which is another form of arecord sheet having conducting areasof a different configuration.

As shown in Figure 1, it will be noted that the recording areas are inthe form of pairs, and the squares of each pair are spaced a very shortdistance apart as indicated at a, yet not so near together that theremay be any possibility of conductivity between the squares of any singlepair. These areas are previously printed or impregnated on the sheets,or otherwise rendered conducting with materials hereinafter mentioned,the sheets being of paper constituency or any non-conducting material.

To illustrate more clearly the sort of information that mightbe recordedon these sheets, an explanation of how these cards may be used in givingschool tests or examinations will be helpful. The record sheets, asshown in the figures, are madeup particularly for such purposes; itshall be understood however that they may be made up in other forms,depending on the nature of the information to be recorded.

The name of the person taking the examination, the date of theexamination, the subject upon which the examinationis being given, orother similar desired information may be written on the sheet by thestudent. Assuming that there are ten questions, as indicated by tenhorizontal rows of conducting areas, the questions being propoundedorally, or by the use of a blackboard or upon printed, typewritten, ormimeographed paper, the student will have the choice of four pairs ofareas across the sheet. He selects his choice of the four answers, suchanswers being also given on the typewritten question sheet, and places amark with a pencil so as to connect the selected pair of areasrepresenting the answers which he desires to make. When all tenquestions are answered, the record sheet is returned to the instructorand is then ready to be put through the machine to determine thestudents grade. While this record sheet is shown as one adapted for onlyten questions, it can readily be understood that a different number ofquestions or answer pairs may be included on a single sheet, and theconducting areas may be positioned in any fashion.-

The machine, as mentionedabove, is an electromechanical device havingpairs of electrical terminals or contactors, as indicated at b, whichregister with conducting areas when the card is set up, and timed, thatwhen a mark, as indicated at 0, occurs between the proper pair ofconducting areas, it will register the presence of a proper answer orselection of pairs of areas that have been marked. For this form ofcard, four pairs of contactors would be used, corresponding to the fourvertical columns of pairs, and the sheet will be run endwise into themachine. If more optional answers were included, additional contactorswould be provided for each additional option.

In Figure 2, another form of record sheet is shown. This form shows aset of ten horizontal primary leaders, d, all of which connect a masterleader, e. By the use of such a leader system, the arrangement of thecontactors of the machine does not necessarily have to be in pairs. Inthis form, the set of ten leaders covers ten questions, and the studentwould have. the choice of eight answers, instead of four as shown in theother sheet, as indicated at f, by making a conducting mark at one ofthe eight locations disposed in a row parallel to the horizontal leadersas shown at g.

A machine for tabulating data for this form of record sheet would havea. contactor, as indicated at h, that would register with the masterleader and a series of eight minor contactors that would register,respectively, with the eight dots. After the number of properregistrations on the sheet are counted by the machine, the number sodetermined will indicate the grade of the student,

Avariety of conducting substances may be used in printing orimpregnating the record sheets. Some commercial inks are suflicientlyconductive for our purpose or they may be made to have more conductivityby adding calcium chloride or some substance which will absorb moistureto thereby insure the conductivity of the areas. The

conducting properties of inks may also be improved by'the addition offinely divided conducting materials such'as graphite, aluminum, copperor other metals. In general, the mediums in which the pigments of theusual printing inks are suspended are not as suitable as some of thewater soluble gums frequently used for adhesive compounds. Also, we mayuse metallic foils pasted in areas or other known conducting substances.As for the material utilized in connecting two conducting areas, anordinary graphite pencil gives good results.

While the explanation of this information has been carried on inreference to record sheets used particularly in tests and examinations,it will be readily understood that these record sheets may be easilyadapted for use in making sales records, ballots, censusreports, and thelike. Or, they may be used in making the transfer of data from one sheetto another, or in transforming one kind of record over to another, asfor example, from printed characters to perforations.

We claim as our invention:

1. An article adapted for recording data comprising a sheet of materialwhich is substantially an electrical non-conductor, a series of dataindicating characters located on said sheet, and.

distinct preformed areas of electrically conductive material locatedadjacent to each other on the surface of said sheet in such a mannerthat a plurality of said areas correspond to each indieating character,said character areas being so formed as to provide for readily recordingdata by a modification of the electrical conductivity of the surface ofthe paper in the intervening area.

2. An article arranged to form a data. record I from which electricalindications of several data items may be obtained by the use ofelectrical contacts corresponding to each data item, said articlecomprising a sheet of material which is substantially a non-conductor,preformed areas of conducting material located upon the surface of thesheet in position to be engaged by the contacts corresponding to eachdata item, said areas being separated by an intervening surface areaforming a part of a current path between said contacts, the electricalconductivity of which isnon-conductor, said preformed areascorresponding to each data position being separated from each other byareas the surfaces of which have a predetermined electricalconductivity, and indicating data items on the sheet by a modificationof the surface conductivity of the area intervening between thepreformed areas at the positions corresponding to the data items of therecord being made.

4. An article adapted for recording data comprising a sheet of materialwhich is substantially an electrical non-conductor, said sheet beingarranged to provide for a series of data indicating positions anddistinct areas of electrically conductive material preformed upon thesurface of said sheet and so located with relation to each other that ateach data position a plurality of areas separated by an intervening areaof said paper surface correspond to the position, said areas at each ofsaid positions being so'formed and disposed in relation to each otherand the data position as to provide for. readily recording data bymodification of the electrical conductivity of the surface of the paperin said intervening areas.

5. An article adapted for recording data comprising a sheet of materialwhich is substantially an electrical. non-conductor, said sheet beingarranged to provide for a series of data indicating positions anddistinct areas of electrically conductive material preformed upon thesurface of said sheet and so located with relation to each other that ateach data position a plurality of areas separated by an intervening areaof said paper surface correspond to the position, said areas at'eachofsaid positions being so formed and disposed in'relation to each otherand the data position as to provide for readily recording data bymodification of the electrical. conductivity of the surface of thepaperin said intervening areas, said modification being'eradicable in orderto restore the conductivity of said latter areas to substantially theiroriginal condition.

HAROLD H. HIGGINBOTTOM.

HANS J. PETERSON. JOHN C. PETERSON.

